You can see I only mortared the bottom brick at the very front left corner and I started to mortar the triangular brick pieces at the very front edge. I eventually mortared almost the entire front landing about 2/3rds of the way into the landing so the front floor didn't move.

RE your question: no other mortar was necessary for the floor bricks, or soldier or 1st course (other than between them and above them). I've been told on this forum, that for those who did put a little mortar on the floor, that the heat of the oven just breaks that bond anyway as the oven expands. As you can see by that almost full brick on top of the mortared corner brick, by the time I start mortaring in the rows of the arch walls, and the oven ring rows, that's a lot of brick and mortar that's going to hold it down and it ain't moving.

FWIW: see the soldier bricks around the left side? Before I "closed up" the dome, I added a 1/4" of the homebrew as 'cladding' around the whole dome and let that cladding cover a 1/2" down the 2" side of the white insulation board to kind of "bond" the oven dome to the insulation, but DO NOT let the mortar touch the concrete base stand otherwise it will wick away heat from the oven.

ok thanks alot dino , my concern was how is that arch going to have any support if it is not mortared down to floor. that is the first three bricks (on left and right side) that u have in the pic that do not have any mortar to them.

Dave,
I just posted a new thread on the forum under "getting started" that says something like "Attaching jpegs" or something like that for instructions on attaching pictures from picasa web (the only way I know how to do it) so see if it works out for you to post your pics when you have any question..
good luck, dino

Dino has probably covered it sufficiently but for what it's worth - I mortared all the bottom row including arches and vent. I was mortaring to vermiculite board so I figured it would easily detach if there was any pressure (rather than crack the dome elsewhere. Anyway I never saw any sign that it moved at all.
I think either way is OK!

For uploading pics probably Dino's method is the one you need since you already have pics on picasaweb.
If you are uploading from PC or laptop use the "Go Advanced" reply option. Then "Manage Attachments" at the "Attach Files" option. That will pop-up a window which allows you to browse your computers file system. Select your file and it will upload it as an "Attached Thumbnail". There are file size limitations but that was never a problem since I used a phone rather than a camera.

Thanks for all the help guys, hey this homebrew mix it takes a while to cure? I was just worried cause im concerned if these brick are sticking i had soak the brick prior to laying them but when i started forming up to start my arch level i went up three blocks and did mortar it to the floor and accidently ever so softly bump it with my elbow and the three i had mortared down shifted because of the bump and they were laid about 4 hours after it happened, but the good side the bricks above stuck togther here. Am i just being paraniod and not letting it cure enough?

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